robsblubot

Do you really see Mourinho playing either any time soon?! Haven't seen anything special from McEachran, and Chalobah is just too green at 18.

Diego Costa is too expensive as a bet and not tested enough to be a big signing. I'm all for getting them before they cost 50m, so you gotta do that before they start scoring every weekend. *If* we did got for him, it would then be a long-term deal. Eto is on a 1-year contract, and Ba will be gone (IMO) soon. Diego Costa would have time to get used to English football for next season. So, we'd have Torres, Lukaku and D. Costa next season. No, not sure D. Costa is good enough. Another player I would have gone for is Shelvey. He was cheap and could provide a very good rotation option. He's got the right attitude and good technique. His over-aggressiveness can be tamed by the right manager (like Mourinho). He could do the job Meireles did for us.

I'm actually quite happy with Lampard's performance this season, esp considering that at his age it will take some time for him to hit high gear. What once again concerns me is the lack of any proper long-term replacement on the horizon. I look at Paulinho playing for Tottenham and I see a lot of Lampard in him. The box-to-box, the goals, and especially, the deceptively languid movement. I think Willian is going to become a good/important player for Chelsea, but I wish we had gone for Paulinho instead. Concerning yaya, it's really not Lampard's job to stop him; at least that's how I see it. Yaya's about power, and honestly we just don't have any player in the squad who would be a physical match for him. Essien in his early days could make it up with movement and skill, but never power. BTW, luciobrazil, weight != power. Mikel has not the attitude/aggressiveness of ball-winning midfielder IMO.

great read - apologize for double-posting but completely different subject Leboeuf frankly on David Luiz.... 'Sometimes he scares me a little when I see him being very easy and taking too many risks, but he`s the same kind of player I was. 'Maybe I was less crazy than he is, but he`s a fantastic player, he likes to go forward, and I can`t reject a player like that because that`s the philosophy I like. 'But at the same time, if you`re going to play him, you need to make sure people compensate, and one of the midfielders goes next to John Terry when he goes forward. 'It`s teamwork, and David Luiz has to be careful than someone can take his place when he does things. I like David Luiz - he brought so much to the club and he`s a talented player. 'He has to work on the defensive aspects of his football, but a little bit of craziness doesn`t kill anybody, and it brings a bit of flavour to football.' 'It was a good idea to see him playing as a midfielder because he`s secure at the back with John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic or Gary Cahill behind him,' the Frenchman added. 'It`s an option, but as you get older I think he`s going to go forward less, like I did, and he`s going to calm down, and so maybe his position really is at the back. 'Because of his technique, it`s good to have a player who can be calm and give a good pass to start a good attack.' http://www.chelsea.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=538012

Great post, and I mostly agree. On the importance of mental level, that's really debatable and perhaps cultural as well. I can affirm that In Brazil technique is considered *the most* important aspect, but mentality is indeed considered important especially on the highest stage (International etc). This is a discussion that probably deserves its own thread, but I reckon however strong mentally a player may be, he has no business playing at the highest level if his technique doesn't follow closely behind. I for one find it far more likely Luiz improving decisions, positioning, and concentration than Cahill improving his technique, pace, and agility. Defenders tend to improve on the mental side of the game as they age. Experience does give them a better reading of the game over time.

heh maybe... that can be quite entertaining. David is very quick and aggressive which allows him to apply pressure high up in the field (aside from bad decision like in Everton's goal) and close down on those top forwarders very quickly, before they have enough time to control the football and turn. That's key to stopping them, because at the very least they are slowed down just enough to allow our defense to get organized. Aguero for example got quite frustrated with Luiz last season; so much so that he ended up lashing out at him. Cahill on the other hand isn't that quick and cannot close down on opponents very well. Since the top forwarders can receive the ball and turn very quickly, Cahill ends up back off a lot, which is very often punished. I actually find it funny that people here think Cahill chooses to back off... On the other hand, Terry's great reading of the game puts him in a far better position of being proactive like David (just not as high up the pitch), even though he's not that quick. Thats' the reason JT and David are IMO the best pairing: they are different enough to complement each other, and at the same time prevent the top forwarders from having too much time on the ball. @Korea, David is world class; whether you like his style or you think he doesn't work in our system that's OK. However, the mere fact other top top sides are willing to spend good money on him should be evidence enough that he is indeed world class. Most Brazil starters are world class too, btw. e.g. most of them could (and do) start for top sides in the world. The fact England don't employ their absolute best defender is just beyond me.

Instructions, match preparation, training... he didn't make a single run in the CL final; he rarely makes runs for Brazil. Honestly, if the manager tells him not to make the runs and he still does, why would the manager play him after he disobeys his instructions? Players are dropped for far less. So I have to assume and I know that Benitez for example stated so, that they actually encourage him to make them. Haven't seen Mangala play, but he's hardly been tested at the highest stage. I just hope Luiz doesn't move to Barca or Bayern then, because that would work too well for them (style wise). On Cahill, not talking about mistakes so much, but technical deficiencies which will be only found when playing at the highest level against skillful FW. Getting beaten for example. Luiz proactive way of playing is the right one against top strikers and players - don't give em time to control the football and turn, otherwise they will punish you.

OK, now were are discussing a different thing. When he goes to attack that's up to the team to provide or not cover for him. If we cannot provide cover for his runs, then the manager tells him not to make them otherwise he's dropped; neither happens so we have to assume he is not told to quit making runs esp since we've got a CB playing RB in Iva - who can easily cover Luiz. Now going back to his positioning and lack of concentration at times, that's indeed a problem. Pretty sure Luiz himself knows it and I only hope they've been working with him to improve on that. Agree about Terry disagree on Cahill. Really don't see what you guys see in him. Nothing special about his game or technique. He always looks composed, but that's hardly enough for top sides or when playing against top sides.

fair enough. We all have our own personal preferences, esp concerning styles. However, the alternative of employing a player who is less apt (technically speaking), which would only cause us to concede goals at the highest level, when facing gifted forwarders who he wouldn't be able to handle, isn't any better. There wouln't be any scoring if Cbs didn't make mistakes, but the mistakes can be very obvious like the one David made, or less obvious, when the defender is easily beaten by a FW on pace, or skill, etc. The result is the same though. I just don't think we have that player you speak of, aside from Terry. Either Luiz gets his shit together, or we will need to find another player who is technically as good, and at the same time more composed (good luck with that one). I for one don't share the idea that Cahill is good enough to be a starter for Chelsea (or England). BTW, his style of play makes England a worse team all the way to the front. Also, players can and do become more composed as they age. However, players rarely (or at least not as much) improve their technique.

agreed. It'd be inexcusable if he were to make such a mistake against a top side in a tough CL or EPL match. However, so far, what we've seen is that he becomes more composed in more important matches. That has been the case for both Chelsea and Brazil so it's not like we don't have enough evidence of that. I'm including here one CL final and one Confederations Cup final (against Spain) where he was close to MotM. It's not just the international break though; he does display the swagger in these type of matches, against smaller sides. That will have to beaten out of him the hard way I'm afraid. I've seen this before and it comes naturally when players are that good - impeccable technique. His first touch and passing are out of this world esp considering he is a CB. I've watched many great footballer play live back in Brazil, but was genuinely impressed when I saw David play the friendly against Roma.

Yup holland did say players were in bad shape. They seemed genuinely worried about the form of the players coming from intr break. With that said-focus/composure is the area he has to work on. He does seem to perform better in big matches, and loses focus at times esp playing at home.

I was between Eto'o and Terry for MotM and ended up voting for Terry just because he had to cover for a subpar David today. *that's why he makes a very good pairing for David. And you don't need David to have a terrible game to see that influence btw. Eto'o did everything else though. You could see how David thanked him after his goal... International duty is really costly to big clubs.

Agree on luiz (though Cech was also so slow to react) not on chill - unbelievable to me that England starts Cahill; terry is twice the player. At that level technique is everything.Luiz did start both Brazil "friendly" (no such thing so close to the wc) and did look tired to me. Perhaps Cahill was tired too from international duty.

Terry had a perfect game. He was and looked well rested. All players who were on international duty looked very tired.

Mistake was 70% luiz 30% Cech for me. It was an unnecessary play and assumption from Luiz, but then why did't Cech come to meet the ball and instead stayed frozen? No he wasn't slow, Cech was late to act. Regardless, the mistake rattled Luiz and he looks out of the match - needs to be subbed asap before he gets a red. Cahill should do good because these long balls are his forte, but Iva could be moved to CB as well. Now lets not fool ourselves about the mistake; we've been very poor and don't deserve to be winning this match. Many players are having terrible games. Passing has been atrocious aside from ironically Luiz, but the way he's playing I'd not even risk him in the midfield right now.

The big mistake on Everton's goal was arguably Luiz leaving position to pressure the ball. After that fact, once that is done for, the remaining players involved could've done better and Cech allowed a player to head the ball within *his* 6-yard box. I don't pretend to know the answer to such a complex question (and decision) which involves variables I've no access to (values, contract clauses, demands). However, I tend to agree with others who say Cech is no longer playing at the same level he once was; I still think he is a top GK, but I thought he was the absolute #1 before the injuries.

They've had tests to determine whether a player needs a rest or not, and how much rest, for a while now. They will certainly tests all these players who are coming back from intl duty. Ramires also only played until half-time, replaced by Oscar. So both only played 45 in the last match. Regardless, Ramires may be a special case since it's not like we've got a good replacement for him.

So, Belgium is losing 0x1 against Neverland, it's 80' so not much time left... you gotta pick a striker (can't say both - not how the game works:)) between Benteke and Lukaku, who would you pick? Note that the great side of Neverland is defending with 11 men behind the ball.

I've been following this on papers. It seems to be an identity crisis, not so much of the league, but supporters and pundits. The league is gearing towards becoming an international product, difficult to miss the obvious movement towards untapped markets. And I reckon you cannot have it both ways: you cannot have the best league in the world and at the same time give precedence to local players and youngsters. The demand to see a young English player develop is non-existent. When fans in Asia turn up to see Chelsea they don't want to see a mediocre (in development) player, but the final product, the best of the best; otherwise they will go watch a different team and/or a different league. You, and many supporters, may be OK with the latter, but the club and its owners, and apparently the league aren't. There is no link between the national team and the club. What's is in it for Chelsea, its owner? Same goes for City, spurs, etc. Even our substitute GKs are not English. I can only sympathize with the idea, I think that what you wish for is unattainable; UK's population just (in numbers) cannot provide the goods, because the demand is international. A good read on the subject is a book called: "Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Spain, Germany, and Brazil Win, and Why the US, Japan, Australia, Turkey-and Even Iraq-Are Destined to Become the Kings of the World's Most Popular Sport" Even if you don't agree with everything, it's a good read nevertheless. I do agree with you on the subject of utilizing more the young players, however. It makes no sense to me that we have a rotation/backup player like Mikel for example. * further discussion on Mikel on Mikel's thread * My point is and has been that what he does on the pitch can be done by a number of players, including English players. So, I wouldn't mind getting someone like Progba for example, so long as Chalobah would be the one providing cover. Assuming he is ready of course, he is still so very young (18). And honestly, if they are not good enough they just aren't good enough. There is just too much money in the CL. A club cannot afford to consistently not make it; I mean it can, but there will be consequences. Look at what happened to Liverpool in the last few years.

Gonna have to disagree about Messi. He was, until recently, pretty much a non-factor for the national team. This is not really disputable, since you gonna find very few assists and goals by him when playing for Argentina early on. Ppl were questioning his starting spot at some point... yup! Only recently, already as a matured play, he's been able to reproduce his brilliance at the international level. Ronaldo prob was already as influential at 22, but a completely different player too. A player who also relies on his physical power and pace, as opposed to Oscar who's pure technique. BTW, these friendlies have no importance really. They are less boring because we are so close to the WC and players are more motivated, but still, far from the real thing.

were Messi or Ronaldo up tehre with Oscar when they were 22? Don't know about Ronaldo, but I can tell Messi was far from the end product esp when playing for Argentina.

Great post! I do disagree on the law enforcement bit though: it is rubbish. However, I do understand where you are coming from in response to the claims made, which I agree couldn't be farther from the truth. People also do not realize Brazil is a country as large as the US, so when they Brazil this or Brazil that, they really ought to be more specific... otherwise it's like comparing NYC to say, Omaha. On law enforcement, my dad is a retired police officer and he tells me that the number of police officers on the streets in Brazil is roughly the same as 50 years ago... Number of murders, and other violent crimes, is still way too high.

great post. I originally thought a rotation with Cech would have worked, but your post as well as others have convinced me otherwise; that would depend on Cech, because if he wants to make a last move to secure his retirement money, then he should be allowed to leave. It's a very difficult situation for a big club. On one hand you've got a potential top goalkeeper for a decade in Courtois. On the other side, he's very young (esp GK) and that experience could matter at the highest stages. Letting go of Cech right now/next year could cost us short-term. Look at what happen with De Gea... yes, Courtois looks more mature for club and country, but you can't really predict anything until he starts playing week in and week out for us. Personally, and I don't pretend to be a 100% sure of it, I'd move Cech and offer a 5 year deal to Courtois. At some point you gotta think of the club and not immediate success.

We should be able to get the win with whoever starts. Honestly the difference in quality (and price) between the squads is just too great. Since many players will be returning from International duty this could perhaps be a good opportunity to give a chance to the well-rested ones. On the other hand - managers need to be aware of this too - it is somewhat unfair to start a player against a difficult away game and then start a different one against an easier opponent at home.

They've been struggling, but much is due to mechanics. For example it's difficult to analyze Arsenal's defenders when more often than not they are offered no protection. This season they've got Flamini back, but last season they had Arteta!? as a sole holding mid... yup poor defenders indeed. Mertesacker is a fine defender and struggled last season for the reasons I stated. I wish we had made a low-ball bid when he was struggling back then. huge tangent here... completely OT....